Vacuum controlled gas saver



y 1952 s. J. HARMON 3,034,492

VACUUM CONTROLLED GAS SAVER Original Filed April 16, 1956 INVENTOR 5ySAMUEL Hanna/v MIT/i 015m, [av/5 (27% A TTORNEVS United States Patent 1Claim. (Cl. 123-124 This is a continuation of my co-pending applicationS.N. 578,309, titled Vacuum Controlled Gas Saver, and filed April 16,1956, and now abandoned.

This invention relates to means for improving the gas mileage of anautomotive vehicle, truck or other engine, without the sacrifice ofdesign horsepower.

The carburation systems of most automotive vehicles is designed tosupply more fuel to an engine operating at normal highway speeds than isactually consumed; that is a richer fuel-air mixture than is necessaryunder normal operating conditions. This is done in order to haveadditional fuel available for acceleration and other added power demandswhen and if required without complicated carburetor controls at thelower engine operating speeds. Obviously, this results in inefficiencyand reduces gas mileage by sacrificing fuel that is seldom required. Atthe same time, it is appreciated that the availability of additionalpower is a requisite for highway safety.

Numerous gas saving devices have been previously suggested but thesehave either required some sacrifice of available horsepower, or havebeen too costly for the savings involved.

The automotive industry has found the problems of economy and horsepowerincompatible within a simple carburation system and have been requiredto go to a dual carburation system for their more high powered vehicleengines. In such dual systems a second carburetor, in effect, is usedunder high power conditions. Obviously, such a carburetion system ismost expensive and extremely complicated. This in turn requires theutmost care and maintenance to assure that additional fuel will be madeavailable when additional power is required.

The gas saving device of my invention is exceptionally simple inconstruction and therefore both inexpensive to manufacture and toinstall. Most important, it is usable with a simple carburetion systemto aifect full economy without a sacrifice of power.

My invention relates to means of supplying supplementary air to theintake manifold of an internal combustion engine at operationalconditions which will not adversely affect normal engine starting,idling or high power operation. This is accomplished by making use of avacuum responsive control similar to the automatic spark advance timingcontrol commonly used on automotive vehicles. This control enables theintroduction of supplemental air into the intake manifold of an engineonly during constant driving conditions and is adapted to automaticallyshut-off such additional air when lesser or greater power demands areimposed on the engine.

It will be appreciated that the spark-timing control referred to isconnected to an engine carburetor on the atmospheric side of thethrottle valve and that there is no appreciable vacuum on such sideduring engine starting and idling when the throttle valve is closed.However, during normal operation the throttle valve is opened more andthe vacuum condition is increased relative to the engine speed. This isused to advance the spark timing at high engine speeds while assuringagainst spark advance at idling speeds which might cause the engine tostall.

The control of this invention is similarly responsive to vacuumconditions in the carburetor on the atmospheric side of the throttlevalve to selectively introduce and cutoff the supply of supplemental airto an engine. As will be shown, such control assures against too lean acombustible mixture during engine starting and idling conditions whenthe throttle is closed, and similarly guarantees a cut-ofi ofsupplemental air when the throttle is partially closed and is requiredto be opened at high speeds to effect an acceleration of the engine inresponse to a higher power demand. In this manner, the design horsepowerof an engine is always available when additional power is called for.

It is accordingly an object of this invention to provide a simple,inexpensive and operational mechanism for supplying and controlling thesupply of supplemental air to the intake manifold of an internalcombustion engine to assure greater fuel economy Without a sacrifice ofengine horsepower.

It is also an object of this invention to provide a control mechanismfor introducing supplemental air to the carburetion system of an engineonly at operational conditions of the engine which will not adverselyafiect engine starting or idling nor response to demands for more powerat higher operating speeds.

A further object of this invention is to teach a method of controllingthe supply of supplemental air to an internal combustion engine whichhas not been heretofore practiced and which produces most satisfactoryresults.

More specifically, it is an object of this invention to teach themethod, and disclose a device suitable for practicing such method,wherein the vacuum condition within an engine carburetor immediatelyadjacent and on the atmospheric side of the throttle valve is used toopen sup plementary air supply means at a predetermined engine operatingcondition and is countermanded in the course of any demand upon theengine for additional power to shut off such supplemental airimmediately and re-establish the fuel-air ratio originally intended forsuch engine.

Other objects of this invention will appear in the following descriptionand appended claim, reference being made to the accompanying drawingsforming a part of this specification and wherein like referencecharacters designate corresponding parts in the several views.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is an illustration of one embodiment of the gas saver of thepresent invention.

FIG. 2 is an illustration showing the supplementary air inlet ring ofthe gas saver of FIG. 1 in cross section as seen in the direction of thearrows 2-2 of FIG. 1 and installed in the intake port of the intakemanifold of an internal combustion engine and illustrating the vacuumline connection thereto.

Before explaining the present invention in detail, it is to beunderstood that the invention is not limited in its application to thedetails of construction and arrangement of parts illustrated in theaccompanying drawings,

since the invention is capable of other embodiments and of beingpracticed or carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understoodthat the phraseology or terminology employed herein is for the purposeof description and not of limitation.

Referring to FIG. 1 the elements of the gas saver of the presentinvention comprise a supplementary air inlet ring 10, a conduit 12connecting between said air inlet ring 10 and a valve 14 and a vacuumactuated control means 16 mounted for operation of said valve 14.

The supplementary air inlet ring 16 is provided with a central passage18 which, as shown in FIG. 2, and is mounted in alignment with theintake port 20 of the intake manifold of an internal combustion engine(not shown) to allow passage of the air-fuel mixture from the carburetorinto the intake manifold.

The supplementary air inlet ring 10 is preferably mounted directly ontop of the intake port 20 underneath the carburetor. ventionalcarburetor (not shown) is illustrated for convenience as a conduit 22.The supplementary air inlet ring is also provided with the two apertures24 through which pass the bolts (not shown) that are used to mount thecarburetor on the upper surface of the intake port 2%) of the intakemanifold.

The supplementary air inlet ring 1% comprises the peripheral chamber 26and upper and lower transverse flanges 28 and 30 defining therebetween apassageway 32 between the peripheral chamber 26 and the central passage13. A plurality of screens 34 are positioned in this passageway 32 andextend across the central passage 13. The screens 34 are so arrangedthat the wires in each are at angles to the wires in the others toprovide a maximum atomization of the fuel-air mixture passing throughthe central passage 18. The screens also serve to assure a uniformdistribution of the supplementary air troduced from the peripheralchamber 26 into the central passage 18.

An inlet 36 to the peripheral chamber 26 is provided. The conduit 12connects between this inlet and the valve 14. The valve 14 comprises acasing 38, a disk 40 affixed to a shaft 42 and a crank arm 44 afiixed tothe outer end of shaft 4-2. The shaft 42 extends transversely throughthe casing 38 and is journalled therein for rotational movement. Thevalve 14 is thus balanced against the force of the vacuum in the conduit12. That is, the force of this vacuum has no effect on the operation ofthe valve since its action on the top half of the disk 40 would tend toopen the valve but at the same time its action on the bottom half of thedisk 40 would equally tend to close the valve. One end of the casing 38is open to allow passage of air through the valve 14 and via the conduit12 to the gas saver ring 10. This opening in the casing 38 is providedwith suitable filter means 46 which can be a fine screen or combinationscreen and cloth to filter the incoming supplementary air.

The valve 14 is mounted in the motor compartment (not shown) of anautomobile in any desired manner.

For example, the valve 14 may be mounted on a. plate or bracket 48 whichcan be aifixed to one of the sidewalls of the motor compartment or tothe motor itself. Also mounted on the bracket 48 is the vacuum actuatedcontrol means 16, which opens and closes the valve 14.

The vacuum control means 16 comprises a casing 50 and a flexiblediaphragm 52 disposed transversely through the middle of said casing tand defining in conjunction In FIG. 2, the lower portion of a conwiththe right half of said casing as viewed in FIG. 1, a

chamber 54. Afflxed to the center of this diaphragm is a collar 55 anddisposed on the opposite side of the diaphragm between the diaphragm andthe end wall of chamber 54 is a spring 58 operative in compression tourge the diaphragm toward the left as viewed in PEG. 1.

Extending between and affixed to the collar 56 and the crank arm 44 ofthe valve 1 is the linkage rod 60 which is journalled at either end forlimited transverse movement.

A conduit 62 provides a connection between the chamber 54 and thecarburetor of the engine. As shown in FIG. 2, the end of this conduit 52is illustrated as connected directly to the carburetor on theatmospheric side of the throttle valve 63. In practice I find it mostconvenient to make this connection to the carburetor at the same placeas the existing connection for the vacuum spark control. This isessentially the position indicated. I do this simply by substituting a Tfitting to which I attach both the conduit 62 and the conduit to thevacuum spark control.

When the vacuum in the carburetor on the atmospheric side of thethrottle valve increases, the vacuum in chamber 54 of vacuum actuatedcontrol means 16 is increased via the conduit 62. As illustrated in FIG.1, valve 14 is in the closed position not allowing supplementary air topass. However, when the vacuum increases in chamber 54 to a certainextent the diaphragm 52 is urged to the right, as viewed in FIG. 1,against the resistance of spring 58. This movement of the diaphragm 52opens valve 14 via linkage rod 61' crank arm 44 and shaft 42, by turningthe disk into the position shown in dotted lines in FIG. 1. This allowssupplementary air to pass through valve 14 and via conduit 12, inlet 36,peripheral chamher 25, passageway 32 and central passage 18 into theintake manifold.

The movement of diaphragm 52 in response to an increase in the vacuum inchamber 54 is a positive and decisive movement. That is, the diaphragmdoes not move until the vacuum has built up to a sufiicient point toovercome the resistance of spring 58. The spring 53 is of the same typeused in the spark-control device and is calibrated to resist minorfluctuations and yield only to a given vacuum condition. Subsequently,when the vacuum in chamber 54 decreases to a level slightly below thelevel which was required to overcome spring 58, the spring will returnthe diaphragm 52 to its original position thus closing valve 14 andshutting off the supplementary air supply to the intake manifold.Therefore, the vacuum control means provides a positive on-oif andsnap-action like control for the supplementary air introduced throughthe supplementary air inlet ring 1!).

I have found that this positive on-off control allows the introductionof even larger amounts of supplementary air than would be expected.Thatis, conduit 12 can be of significantly greater diameter than theinlets of prior gas savers since the cut-off action is immediate and nota gradual minimization.

From the description it can be seen that I have provided a gas saverwhich introduces supplementary air to the intake manifold of an internalcombustion engine only at times when the vacuum in the carburetor on theatmospheric side of the throttle valve has increased to a predeterminedpoint.

The vacuum condition which first enables supplementary air to beintroduced into the system is a vacuum condition existing at normalengine operating or cruising speeds. Upon a call for more power whileoperating in this range, as by depression of the accelerator and anopening of the throttle valve, there is a drop in the vacuum conditionwhich causes the supplementary air to be shut oil. As the engine speedsbuild up, the vacuum condition also begins to build up until it reachesa point where it is sufficient to again open the supplementary airsupply.

By utilizing the vacuum in the carburetor on the atmospheric side of thethrottle valve as the control, I assure that no supplementary air willbe admitted when the engine is idling. This is particularly important.Many prior gas saver devices have utilized the vacuum in the manifold,that is downstreamof the throttle valve, to open a supplementary airinlet port. However, since the manifold vacuum is high when the engineis idling, these prior devices have admitted supplementary air at suchfees making the engine run unevenly and also making it extremelydifiicult to start the engine.

Having thus described my invention I claim:

A device for a fuel conserving supply of supplementary air to aninternal combustion engine without loss of design horsepower, andcomprising: supplementary air inlet means for connection within theintake manifold system of an engine on the engine side of the throttlevalve, a control mechanism including a balanced butterfly valve providedin said supplementary air inlet means for air flow control therein andactuator means operatively connected to said valve, said actuator meansincluding a housing having a diaphragm member provided therein anddividing said housing into atmospheric and vacuum sides, an operativelink interconnecting said butterfly valve and said diaphragm memberthrough the atmospheric side of said housing, a vacuum pressure sensingconduit and means for connecting one end thereof Within the enginemanifold system between the venturi throat of the engine carburetor andthe throttle valve, means for connecting the other end of said conduitto the vacuurn side of said actuator housing for vacuum pressureresponsive actuation of said diaphragm member and opening of saidbutterfly valve, and spring means operatively connected to saiddiaphragm member within said actuator housing and on the vacuum sidethereof for holding said valve closed in the absence of a countermandingvacuum pressure condition on the vacuum side of said diaphragm valve,said spring being calibrated to be overcome by the diaphragm member whenthe vacuum sensed is greater than that normally existing at engineidling speeds.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,211,636 Spray Jan. 9, 1917 2,152,026 'Church Mar. 28, 1939 FOREIGNPATENTS 349,566 Italy June 17, 1937 Great Britain Jan. 28, 1946

